Jewish & Presidential History: A Journey through the Northeast
Featuring Prof. Stephen Berk
December 5 - 10, 2021


Tour Rates & Dates:

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Tour Overview:

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Together, we’ll discuss the origins of Jewish life in the United States and learn how different Presidents viewed and impacted growing Jewish culture in America. With the insights of esteemed Professor Stephen Berk framing our days and taking us in-depth into American history, we will tour the Jewish Northeast and visit Presidential Libraries and archives on our journey from New York to the nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C.

Our Program Includes:

3 nights New York City (4.5 star hotel)
2 nights Washington DC (4.5 star hotel)
Professional Tour Guide throughout
Exclusive presentations by Prof. Berk throughout
Breakfast daily
2 group dinners
Meetings and entrances as per program (subject to change/confirmation)
Covid prevention protocols in place (masks required indoors/on bus, vaccination record required, enhanced cleaning protocols)

Not Included:

Round trip airfare departure taxes and fuel surcharges (on own - contact ayelet@ayelet.com for flight assistance)
Any items of a personal nature
Meals not listed
Any costs associated with testing or related to proof of Covid/vaccine status
Travel Insurance. (RECOMMENDED - group policy is available)

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Sunday, December 5, 2021: ARRIVAL IN NYC

• Arrival in New York and transfer to hotel (on own).
• We join for dinner at a local restaurant and enjoy an opening lecture by legendary historian Prof. Stephen Berk.

Overnight in New York

Day 2: Monday, Dec. 6, 2021: NYC AS A CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS CENTER

• We open our morning at the Jewish Heritage Museum in Battery Park. Built as a living memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust, it enables Survivors to speak through recorded testimony and educates visitors about Jewish life before, during and after the Holocaust.
• Our visit continues to the dramatic 9/11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center. Telling the story of 9/11 through media, narratives and artifacts, it presents us with personal stories of loss, recovery and hope.
• We set out on a walking tour of a Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn to see this Jewish culture up-close. From synagogues to shtreimels, we’ll delve into Hasidic ins and outs on this fascinating stroll.
• Prof. Berk takes us deeper into history and culture with a lecture this afternoon.
• Dinner on own and an evening at leisure.

Overnight in New York

Day 3: Tuesday, December 7, 2021: JEWISH AMERICA’S FOUNDING

• Breakfast.
• We travel north by bus as we delve into the region’s fascinating Jewish history via a lecture from Prof. Berk.
• We begin with a visit to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. We learn about the great President’s life and legacy and how he brought a “New Deal to a New Generation.”
• Returning south, we visit the General Grant National Memorial, home to the famous Grant’s Tomb. The largest mausoleum in North America, it serves as a testament to the general who helped end the bloody Civil War and the President who strove to heal a broken nation.
• Dinner on own and an evening at leisure (possible optional show).

Overnight in New York

Day 4: Wednesday, December 8, 2021: RETRACING THE PATH OF THE FOUNDERS

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel
• We stop at the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. Our tour takes us through a historically restored apartment to discover how immigrants, many of them Jewish, lived at the beginning of the 20th century.
• We drive south past Philadelphia as we learn about our founding fathers from Prof. Berk.
• In College Park, Maryland, we stop at the President Richard Nixon Archive, the repository of his White House Tapes, and learn more about this divisive president.
• Continue to Washington DC, our nation’s capital and check in to our hotel.
• Free evening for dinner on own.

Overnight Washington DC

Day 5: Thursday, December 9, 2021: HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE IN AMERICA

• Breakfast followed by a lecture by Prof. Berk.
• We walk to the nearby United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, a living memorial to the Holocaust. Located on the National Mall, near the Nation’s greatest monuments and memorials, the Holocaust Museum is a moving and emotional visit and stands to inspire visitors to confront hatred, prevent genocide and promote human dignity.
• We meet with a member of Congress (TBD) for a glimpse into the inner workings of Capitol Hill. Among other hot button topics, we’ll discuss the challenges facing our democratic process today both domestic and foreign and steps being taken to address the resurgence of Anti-Semitism in the US.
• This evening, we enjoy a closing dinner together at an area restaurant.

Overnight Washington DC

Day 6: Friday, December 10, 2021: UNTIL NEXT TIME…

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel. Store luggage if needed.
• This morning, we have a closing program with Prof. Berk, summarizing all we have seen and experienced together on our journey.
• Free day to explore the nation’s capital (on own), perhaps at the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture, the International Spy Museum, a Smithsonian Museum or one of the many other memorials and museums in the city.
• Transfer on own to the airport for our flights home.

THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!.
*Itinerary subject to change